Do you sometimes feel like jumping out of your skin, especially your scalp? Does your tight, itchy, burning scalp drive you to distraction? We tell you why your scalp is so out of control and more importantly, how you can take back the control and create some equilibrium
Some people’s scalp is always a little more sensitive, for others the condition occurs sporadically. The culprits may be the climate, frequent or improperly applied permanents or colour treatments or also unsuitable hair care products. The physiology may also play a role. Stress and tension can also disturb the skin and scalp equilibrium.
Just like the skin the scalp is covered by a protective layer. Think of the layer as a brick wall and imagine that the bricks symbolise the horn cells. The cement between the bricks consists of lipids, i.e. fatty substances. External influences can lead to the removal of part of the lipids or in our picture, the cement. As a result the barrier (our brick wall) is now leaky. Too much moisture escapes and the ways are cleared so that harmful substances can intrude. This irritates the scalp and it reacts with itching, burning, redness, dandruff or tightness.
Do you wash your hair daily and then proceed using alcohol-containing styling products, such as styling gel or mousse? Over time, this will dry out the scalp. If you must wash your hair daily then you should use a very mild shampoo. Leave out the alcohol-containing styling products for a while and style your hair using leave-in conditioners, styling spray or wax instead.
Dry heated air in winter and air conditioners in summer are hard on the entire skin including the scalp. In those hard times for the scalp, moisturising shampoos, conditioners and leave-in hair treatments are a true blessing for hair and scalp. In the process, you replenish the scalp’s moisture reserves without adding lipids in large amounts. Lipids (fat) can weigh hair down, especially fine hair.
Persistent itching may be the symptom of a fungal disease affecting the scalp. Redness and large dandruff flakes make a fungal disease even more likely. An oily scalp is particularly prone to fungal overgrowth because the fungus likes the environment. If your scalp is fatty and itches you should consult with a dermatologist about this combination of problems.